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Saturday, 3 November 2012

I came third (out of 6 candidates) in the election for Maling Ward with 18% of the primary vote.

Jane Addis (a genuine independent) was elected with a very strong vote. I am happy that my preferences elected her over one of the two (undeclared) Liberal candidates - Scott Samson and Stephen Spring.

Congratulations Jane.

It is great that Maling Ward has a female Councillor, with another two women (Coral Ross, re-elected & Judith Voce) elected. Boroondara Council now has a better gender balance.

I look forward to the new Council supporting and taking action on improved cycling infrastructure and sustainability and supporting local community groups such as the Friends of South Surrey Park.

Strong leadership is also required to address considerable community concerns about inappropriate development (McMansions & very large multi occupancy dwellings in suburban streets).

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

The plans for a high rise development at Camberwell Station have been abandoned by the developer. This is a good outcome following the community campaign against inappropriate development of the station.

The Progress Leader published this letter from me about the outcome.

It is good to see that community activism helped torpedo the multistory development planned at Camberwell station. Hopefully a better low-scale development can now be planned that improves amenity of the station for train travellers, preserves the station's heritage values and provides a public plaza to benefit the local community.

Monday, 15 October 2012

The Boroondara Review, a local newspaper, has just published this article about me and one of the reasons I am standing for Council - the provision of safer shared pedestrian and cycling infrastructure to create a better network throughout Boroondara.

Peter Campbell cycling on Rathmines Road. Photo: Stephen McKenzie

Boroondara Council has a key role for advocating for the provision of infrastructure. If elected, I will pursue the opportunity to provide a safe family-friendly shared pedestrian and bike trial through Boroondara connecting Hawthorn and Box Hill.

Most residents of Maling Ward I have spoken to during this campaign really want a safe trail for bikes and pedestrians along this route for local trips and tot connect with the Anniversary and Main Yarra Trails.

I am participating in the Ride to Work Day this Wednesday 17/10 and having breakfast at the Hawthorn Velodrome in Boroondara. I hope to see you there.

Friday, 12 October 2012

I was invited by Lucy Lieu from Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) to participate in a public forum in Balwyn for candidates across Boroondara to meet local Falun Dafa members. This is one of the very few chances I have had to speak at a public event and meet local residents in a forum in the run up to the Boroondara Council elections.

Falun Dafa is an advanced self-cultivation practice based on Zhen that espouses the admirable principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.

I spoke my first words of Mandarin - Dàjiā hǎo (welcome).

I provided an overview of my background and life in Boroondara, then briefly covered several issues in Maling Ward and across Boroondara such as inappropriate development, improving public transport, a plan for the Hawthorn to Box Hill shared trail and the delivery of important local community services.

I had a couple of excellent questions. I was asked why international students cannot get a student concession card for public transport and have to pay full fare. I said I thought that this was not appropriate and that Boroondara Council should advocate to the Victorian Government for international students to get concession cards.

Another resident asked if train services could be increased to Canterbury Station. I replied that there are too few trains stopping at East Camberwell, Canterbury and Chatham stations in Maling Ward, and that I thought is was appropriate for Boroondara Council to also advocate to the Victorian Government for increased services. You can sometimes wait up to 20 minutes between trains during peak hours. There should be a service every 10 minutes during busy periods, and every 30 minutes on weekends and during off peak periods.

After the formalities we shared a nice afternoon tea and chatted further about local issues.

It was a pleasure to see so many people interested in local issues and opportunities throughout Boroondara.

Sunday, 30 September 2012

We had a busy working bee at South Surrey Park today planting behind the fence near the playground in Verdun Street. Adrian Hotchin from Boroondara Council supplied the plants and the equipment, we supplied morning tea and some helpers

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Today I visited some fine local cafes and did some door knocking to meet some residents of Maling Ward. I visited Mick at Cafe Biscotti next to South Surrey Park, who told me that Council is planning to extend a garden bed on the footpath. Some drivers have come out of Through Road opposite and mounted the footpath here thinking it is a road. Mick has suggested a handrail along the kerbside to prevent this. There is a need for more consultation here.

I next visited Peter at Wilson & Walsh in Maling Road, where you can get the best home made sausage rolls with salad in Melbourne, and great coffee.

A father was helping his young son cycle near the proposed route of the Hawthorn to Box Hill Trail - a family-friendly shared pedestrian and bike path that could connect Surrey Hills to Box Hill and back to Camberwell and Hawthorn.

Some children were cycling on the safety of Canterbury Sportsground off Guildford Road.

The bike lane on Mont Albert Road looks good, but doesn't work well when cars park in it as they frequently do. I don't think this is safe for children to ride on.

Finally, I had a nice lunch and coffee at the Red Brick Cafe in Mont Albert Road. Local cafes are very popular with residents for coffee, snacks and meals.

Some residents invited me in for a chat and a coffee. Most were very supportive of the Hawthorn to Box Hill Trail. Some raised concerns about Council removing native flowering gums from nearby streets. Some were concerned about increased rates and noted that property values had decreased recently in the area from the height of the recent boom. Concerns about inappropriate development and loss of heritage homes was again mentioned by many residents.